The Traitors viewers eagerly await ‘downfall’ of ‘smug’ contestant

Fans of The Traitors have declared their hopes for one of this year’s contestants to have a swift change in fortune.

Paul, a 36-year-old business manager from Manchester, was selected to be a Traitor in episode one of the popular BBC game show, alongside Ash, Harry and Miles.

So far, he has been popular among his fellow contestants and has gained their trust, despite being one of the people responsible for “murdering” the non-Traitor contestants every night.

Early on, Paul expressed his excitement for playing the game under a false, innocent identity, and has relished being able to have a large impact on the direction of the competition.

However, after episode four’s broadcast on Wednesday (11 January), some viewers have shared their distaste for Paul’s gameplay.

At one point in the episode, he gave a convincing performance in front of the group when he was suspected of being a Traitor, even bringing himself to tears while talking about his family.

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Yet Paul’s tactics have rubbed some viewers up the wrong way. A Traitors fan posted on X/Twitter: “This man thinks he is the CEO of psychology. The creator of social engineering. The mastermind of bull. Paul is evil!”

Another viewer wrote: “I cannot wait for the episode of The Traitors where someone susses out Paul. His demise will be so beautiful.”

One of the Faithfuls, Jaz, suspected that Paul may be a Traitor due to his calm persona, compared to others’ anxieties.

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“They’re completely right about Paul’s behaviour,” a viewer concurred, “Being smug, overly confident and cool is a clear Traitor trait. Paul needs a fright to bring him down a peg or two.”

Expressing their commitment to documenting Paul’s journey on the series, one X/Twitter user added: “This is now a Paul-from-The-Traitors-fall-from-grace-account until the end of January.”

Despite this, others have shared their appreciation for Paul’s ability to charm the Faithfuls while delivering details of his cunning plan to the camera.

A Paul defender wrote: “No idea at all why people don’t like Paul from The Traitors, do people just have an aversion to good TV or?”

Elsewhere, two of this year’s Faithful contestants were shocked when they discovered the identities of the Traitors after their elimination.

Brian, who was banished at the start of episode four, and Kyra, who was “murdered” by the Traitors in episode three, reunited on The Traitors: Uncloaked, the BBC’s companion visual podcast.

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Together, they learned who the secret assassins among their group were, with Brian particularly moved by Ash, a 45-year-old events coordinator, being one of the four.

“I’m so annoyed! I don’t think she reacted well to being called out yesterday,” he said, holding his face in his hands in shock.

Jokingly frustrated at missing Ash’s Traitor identity, he continued: “Oh my God, I absolutely hate her – but I really like her! I said yesterday, as well, ‘I’d rather be a sheep than a snake’. And she’s a snake.”

Kyra then concluded: “At the end of the day, mate: It’s Traitors.”

The Traitors airs on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday on BBC One at 9pm.